Category: imported_guest

I describe ethnic fundamentalism or culturalism as a ‘secular religion’ because this particular way of understanding what ethnicity means shares a number of important features with religion. First, it is a set of beliefs about human nature. Second, those beliefs are unchallenged and unchallengeable. Third, ethnic fundamentalism rejects doubt and has a difficult relationship with reason (despite Benedict’s recent speech).

Too many Maoris think The Bash is a perfectly acceptable concept, a right and proper way to behave, to keep women – read bitches – in line. Yes, yes, a lot of Pakehas and Russians and Iraqis and Brits and Negroes, the whole wide world has men with attitudes like this. But Maoris more so. It must be so for the statistics keep saying it loud and achingly clear. And we have to change it before we can’t.

I must confess, I’m no expert on the Electoral Finance Act. In local government we tend to get so caught up on events within our own community that we don’t usually spend a lot of energy on nationwide issues.

I’ve yet to hear one person suggest compulsory parenting courses at high school. I’ve yet to hear suggestions of imposing consequences on bad parents. The law of consequence – in other words, taking responsibility for our own actions – has left the lexicon. Well, where Maori are concerned it has. There’s always some professional excuse-monger who leaps up and blames “the system” or “government” or “Child, Youth Family” or “Western culture” on our every failing.

I never imagined how a country, socialist-orientated in so many ways, could administer quality education. Fortunately, when I got the chance to spend my final year of high school in Sweden , I was pleasantly surprised.

It is prudent to recognize the limitations of our knowledge and abilities. Such limitations, if accepted, should lead us to be cautious about significant intervention in people’s lives. Otherwise we run the danger of large, unforeseen and possibly very costly consequences. Moreover, we should not assess the influence of the Family Court by looking at individual cases alone

Governments over the past 15 – 20 years have predicated their drug policy on the one single approach of Harm Minimisation. What the community should ask is, if Harm Minimisation is working so well - why are we one of the highest drug-using nations in the world?

Economic theory does not necessarily tell us the proper size of government. Instead, economic theory tells us to examine costs and benefits in order to determine whether resources are allocated in a manner that increases or decreases economic growth.